Rising to fame in the 1980s in New York City’s East Village art scene with peers such as Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat—and Warhol as a mentor—Kenny Scharf was a pioneer of the street art movement, born of dynamic energy. of the city, which he translated into a bold, brightly colored visual space. Combining elements of urban landscape, Pop art, graffiti and cartoon aesthetics, Scharf has created a unique world of characters that humorously capture the energy and personality that animates the streets of New York, often highlighting the unique voices of its different neighborhoods. Now an upcoming exhibition at the Brant Foundation honors Scharf’s art and style, focusing on how his artistic journey is so deeply intertwined with the history and development of New York.
Compiled by his long-time followers Peter M. Brant and Tony Shafrazi in close collaboration with the artist, this major survey includes over seventy important works (paintings, sculptures and objects) from the Brant collection, as well as major loans from the private sector. collections and institutions such as the Whitney in New York and the Broad in Los Angeles.
The theme of this show is When Worlds Collide (1984), which premiered at the 1985 Whitney Biennial and is an enduring example of Scharf’s enduring surrealist, psychedelic style, reflecting the anxiety and uncertainty of a particular historical and social moment through play and humor. Despite her sometimes childlike charm, Scharf has always been in tune with social and political situations, subtly embedding satirical commentary on American society and its complexities, her characters and the scenes that often accompany them.
This concept is shown in works like George Simpson’s Barbecue (1978), in which Scharf presents a quintessentially American man preparing hot dogs over a charcoal grill—played not in the backyard but in the bathtub. In another painting from the same year, Barbara Simpson’s new kitchen, a QVC-like scene of a woman in a pink kitchen is interrupted by a dragon staring directly at the viewer. Both humorous and subversive, these works, like others, see Scharf confronting the failed promises and conflicts of the American dream and its values.
During the exhibition’s press preview, the Observer spoke with the artist to discuss his creative journey and his thoughts on the past, present and future of street art, especially in our current political and social climate in America.
Is there a central theme that connects the works in this exhibition, and how does it reflect the evolution of your practice?
If you really look at what’s going on in many of these paintings, I can say that the main theme that unites them is that even if they are fun, colorful, fun and celebrate the American capitalist, consumer lifestyle, there will always be this elephant in the room, which is what it does to the world. We have created a monster that we choose to ignore and look the other way, thinking it will disappear, when in fact, all my fears come true as we see the destruction. It is no longer a danger. It’s happening before our eyes, yet most continue to pretend it’s not happening or keep pushing it down like it doesn’t matter.
Your works capture a sense of chaos—”everything is all together”—reflecting the urban congestion and flood of images we are constantly faced with. How does your work express or reflect contemporary urban life?
Yes. I often ask how everything exists at the same time: happiness, peace, joy, death and destruction. We all live on this planet together; everything happened at once. I wonder how this is possible with so many different realities at once. In recent history, we have been bombarded with countless images of these various realities, yet we continue amidst all the noise.
You were an active part of the East Village scene in the ’80s. What is your relationship with your neighbors today, and how do you feel it has changed?
New York, especially the city, will always be home to me as my place of discovery and artistic journey with all my collections. I have a memory of almost every road. As everywhere and anywhere, things have changed. I avoid being nostalgic and live in the present, yet I am proud and grateful for my history.
As one of the pioneers of street art, how do you see it today? How have you seen it develop and change?
The whole evolution of street art and graffiti, like hip-hop music, has reached new heights around the world. We knew it was exciting in the early days, but it was hard to imagine how big it would become. It’s amazing to see the influence of that era on today’s youth culture. It is universal and powerful.
“Kenny Scharf” opens at the Brant Foundation on November 13th and will be on view until February 28th.
